


The Stranger Confronts The King

by oops_its_spooks



Series: TMA and MCYT au [1]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Canon-Typical The Stranger Content (The Magnus Archives), Gen, Horror, I think it's LESS spooky tbh but I'm also, Light Angst, Like everyone else on the SMP is mentioned in this but I simply cannot be bothered to tag them each, Not really though, Stranger Avatar Dream, TMA and MCYT au, They/Them Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), This isn't super canon-typical for TMA ?, but I'm not good at writing it B), the one who wrote it soooo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:01:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27361660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oops_its_spooks/pseuds/oops_its_spooks
Summary: In which Eret gets thoroughly freaked out and threatened by an avatar of The StrangerThis is the first work in my TMA + MCYT series of fics :)You don't have to listen to TMA to read ! And there aren't really any spoilers here since this is in a whole different universe, with different characters, etc. Technically if you haven't listened to MAG 138: The Architecture of Fear there might be some super minor spoilers in here / other works in this series (ie. what the entities are called).I know for a FACT that there is at least one other cross over fic with these two fandoms somewhere on ao3 but I cannot find it :(
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Eret (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: TMA and MCYT au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998466
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24





	The Stranger Confronts The King

**Author's Note:**

> Just realized that I should've done this in the format of a statement smh :/
> 
> CW: The Uncanny valley / Things being not quite right, Discussions of death, Mentions of Choking, Being held around the neck, Lowkey depictions of a panic attack
> 
> Let me know if any CWs need to be added and be kind to yourself :)

Of course, Dream was most certainly human. He obviously wasn't a hybrid like Fundy or Techno -or at the very least, not a noticeable one- nor was the man magically touched or even cursed as Eret themself had been. However, even if the green-clad man had been a hybrid or magic-user, Eret's growing suspicion would remain. They couldn't help but feel that something was ever so slightly _off_ about Dream. Furthermore, this strangeness was something intrinsic to his very existence. The question of what he could possibly look like underneath that round mask was far too tantalizing not to entertain. But in some way, it would be utterly wrong to see the man without it. Dream was a faceless entity. He was cold, calculated, and aloof. He gaged how he fought each opponent by their emotion and never allowed his own to be read. The disguise was a part of his identity so intertwined within his being that separation of the two would leave only a broken man behind.

However, the mask itself was not the sole source of their discontent. There was something to Dream's cadence, always seeming to pause for just a little too long and that condescending near paternalistic tone, feigning ignorance. It was in his laughter as well. Letting out dark chuckles that ran in circles through their head and made Eret near sick with dizziness. His body language was equally off-putting to the King; his mannerisms had a practiced looseness to them, he contorted and swiveled in a way that could only be harmful to even the most agile of men, and did so without hesitation.

Of course, nobody else seemed to take notice of these unusual quirks. Even when others finally scratched the surface of Dream's strangeness, it was out of admiration and under the guise of respect for his training. But Eret knew that discipline didn't breed behaviors or abilities such as his. Furthermore, Eret knew that Dream carried himself in such a manner on purpose. The truth lied in that sickening smirk to his voice and the teasing way the man would ride the line between normality and abnormality. Eret knew Dream was far too deliberate in his actions for it all to be involuntary, but nobody else ever seemed to pick up on any of it.

Nowadays, Eret only saw the occasional visitor to his castle -usually in the form of a rosy-cheeked and half-drunk Fundy or a compassionate and lonely Tubbo. Most steered clear of the young ruler. _Once a traitor, always a traitor_ and all that. 

Needless to say, broaching the subject of Dream's strangeness yielded few options and even fewer results. They certainly couldn't speak with George or Sapnap on the matter. Not only would they laugh off Eret's genuine unease about the fighter, but they'd most definitely tell Dream about the whole ordeal. Wilbur and Tommy vehemently refused to have anything to do with the royal after their betrayal. Niki had been nothing but kind to them even while under Wilbur's reign. But the baker was in jail now and, presumably, just as fixated on overthrowing Schlatt as the ex-president. The new leader in question had yet to even acknowledge the neighboring King's existence, nevermind _converse_ with them. The Vice President tended to treat Eret well enough. Alexis would give a wave and make inoffensive conversation with the monarch but rarely made an effort -or even had the opportunity- to spend time with them, which Eret didn't mind all things considered.

Perhaps the most infuriating aspect of it all was how swiftly their questioning was disregarded as a joke by Dream's allies and enemies alike. Of course, Eret had only been able to try to broach the subject with a preoccupied Fundy and sleep-deprived Tubbo. But considering their meager pool of people willing to even speak to them anymore, the dismissal seemed to be a universal constant. 

The whole matter endlessly frustrated the King and left them on edge whenever Dream was near. Thus, Eret found it near-impossible to calm his comparatively rapid heartbeat upon coming face to face with the abnormal man in their own castle. The masked man was draped over their throne lazily. He sat at an awkward, not quite, sideways angle with his left leg hanging over one armrest. On the opposite, his head rested upon loosely folded arms. His attention locked onto Eret the moment they entered the room, stopping the King dead in their tracks. It was just them and that damned mask, all crisp white porcelain and pitch-black eyes that bore directly through their own milky sockets. 

“Welcome home, Eret” he spoke their name in an overly polite manner that thinly coated his threatening tone, “I’ve been waiting for you forever now.”

"Ah, hello Dream," a soft smile graced their lips as they replied and advanced closer to the throne, stopping a fair distance away before continuing, "I wasn't expecting your visit to my castle this evening." 

Dream let out a low chuckle as he stretched out his limbs in a dramatic fashion, not unlike a cat preparing to pounce on its prey. His joints popped too loud, legs too lanky, and perhaps worst of all; throughout the movement, the mask remained stagnant in its surveillance. For a split second, his tanned fingers splayed out. At that moment, Eret could've sworn they were elongated -near skeletal even- but upon a second glance, the digits were anything but unordinary. The entirety of his body clicked and groaned from disuse, sounding as if the man had been stationary for an eternity. 

"Really? I thought you'd be expecting a visit. Especially since you've been _so_ _talkative_ about little ole' me lately," Dream continued as he settled into a secondary position, swinging his legs over the armrest and onto the floor before resting his chin upon folded hands. Eret could hear the wicked smile in his voice as he tilted his head, "I'm not stupid, Eret. I know you're afraid of me."

Eret looked nervous as the man spoke and struggled to keep the unease from seeping into his voice, "Really? I haven't been speaking about you much at all, and even if I had been, doesn't the elusive Dream have more pressing matters to attend to? We are in the middle of a war, you know."

Dream huffed at that, "you're just _trying_ to get under my skin now Eret," grin still audible in his voice, "you think there's something wrong with me, you just _know_ something's not right. It makes you uncomfortable, it makes you _scared_."

Eret paused as the masked man stared them down. The King was at a complete loss for words. Heat rose to their ears in embarrassment and fear. Eventually formulating and fighting not to stutter out a response they spoke,

"Of course I'm afraid of you," a nervous chuckle left their lips, "you're _Dream_ . You could kill me in an instant if you wanted to -fuck, you could make it _last,_ " their voice trembled at the realization. _You've really gone and done it now, Eret. Great job pissing off a man that could easily send you straight to permadeath._ The beating of their fast and ruthless heart suddenly prominent. 

Dream hummed, the sound almost sweet and gentle, "I could kill you, Eret," he stood as he spoke and quickly closed the gap between the two, "It'd be _so_ _easy_ too," Eret flinched as Dream's calloused hands were placed on their shoulders, but was met with an unrelenting yet painless hold, "Just a smart wound in the chest, a severed artery, or even," Dream's hands slowly traveled to clasp around the King's neck, not quite choking but firm in their hold, "a quick snap of the neck."

Silence flooded the room and, even though there was no real pressure constricting their lungs, Eret felt as if they were drowning. They didn't know how long they had been stood there in the thrown room with practiced hands around their throat, panicking in the quiet expanse and locking eyes with a crudely drawn smiley face. A numbing sense of dread built inside of Eret as they stood. Their anxiety spiking when the man before them began to laugh. 

It was a giggling sort of laugh, the kind only ever associated with childish glee. Dream's hands quickly withdrew from their neck, leaving their skin feeling cold. They took a step back as Dream continued to laugh, Eret's own hand unconsciously ghosted over their throat. Dream was now semi-hunched over, wheezing and giggling as his signature 'tea kettle' sounds crescendoed throughout the once hushed room. 

After a moment Dream, still snickering, spoke again, "Killing you would ruin all my fun," the mask stilled and gazed upon Eret once more, "You see Eret, you're of use to me. And while I'm no _stranger_ ," he chuckled to himself and began to make his way out of the castle, "to death, I find its repetition to be rather boring. It's instant gratification sure, but I prefer to take my time to enjoy myself."

Eret watched as Dream walked past them and towards the exit, their hand resting upon their chest, fingers curling into their shirt's dark fabric. They could feel the frantic, unrelenting pounding of their heart. Their eyes never left the man as he casually walked away. Only a few paces from the threshold the mask swiftly turned to give Eret a final glimpse. Dream uttered a single phrase before rounding the corner:

"The King lives to see another day."

**Author's Note:**

> Dream really said: haha uncomfortable Eret go brrrrrrr
> 
> So Dream's an Avatar of The Stranger :0 I picture his mask as an artifact of it which initially sort of drew him into being mysterious and serving The Stranger ya know ? I'll prob do a whole work dedicated to this but I wanted to explain since it's not super clear here lol
> 
> Also lmk in the comments if you have any ideas / questions about this au ? I don't have much set in stone other than a few who I know will be effected by certain fears and I'd love to hear your thoughts :)


End file.
